A Salt Lake man died Friday night from injuries suffered when a car struck him while he was lying in the middle of the road, Salt Lake police said.
Witnesses said Lucius Hatch, 37, 463 S. Fourth West, walked into the inside lane of westbound traffic on Fourth South at about 250 East. He then lay down in the road, with his hands behind his head and remained there about 30 seconds, before being struck by a westbound car.Police reports say an asphalt patch on the road may have made Hatch less visible to the driver. Hatch also was wearing dark clothing.
Hatch was pronounced dead at LDS Hospital at 10:31 p.m. Friday.
Police say Hatch had experienced some mental problems that may be related to his lying in the road. In March, Hatch was found sitting in a road in Maricopa County, Ariz., and he was convinced people in nearby bushes were going to kill him. Police said he was physically removed from the road at that time.
Hatch was in possession of documents showing that either law enforcement officers or mental health workers felt he was a danger to himself and a detention order for evaluation had been issued, according to police reports.